''Dating Hamlet'' is a novel written by Lisa Fiedler, first published in 2002. It is an example of novels that rewrite

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays to reflect the concerns of teenagers.

Plot

The plot of the story is largely the same as Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', but with a few twists in the tale. The story centres on

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...

and her views on the activities taking place in Denmark and how they affect

. The author turns the story on its head by making Ophelia the heroine of the story. She is the one who comes up with the plans to save Hamlet. She is the one who proves to be brave, while Hamlet appears weak and is left to follow. The novel is a retelling of ''

'' from Ophelia's point of view.

References

Sources

* * 2002 American novels American historical novels Novels based on Hamlet Henry Holt and Company books Novels set in Denmark Ophelia {{2000s-hist-novel-stub